May 14, 1999

By Angel Pablo Polanco, Independent Journalists Cooperative

HAVANA - "Senator Dodd is not interested in the situation of the Cuban people but just in business," concluded the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in a reply to a speech made in Miami by the Connecticut Democrat who urged a partial lifting of trade sanctions against Cuba.

"Christopher Dodd and his followers show a disloyalty to freedom," the Cuban opposition group said in a document made public May 7.

Dodd, keynote speaker at the XVII Journalists Workshop of the Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, titled his April 23 speech, "A New Conversation About Cuba." "I believe that the time has come to lift trade sanctions against Cuba, " he said.

The Lawton Foundation document, addressed to the "American people," said: "The lifting of the embargo must be conditioned on respect for human rights, the freeing of political prisoners, the acceptance of the multi-party system and free and democratic elections. This is a question of principles, north business."

The foundation said "the cause of the serious situation of the Cuban people" was the country's Communist system. It said the Cuba people were "hostages of Castrocommunism" and warned of possible consequences of lifting the embargo. It said it was inviting Cuban exiles to "start an embargo against those foreign firms that profit from the sweat of the Cuban people."

After detailing "the experiences of an entire people who suffer under the boot of Communism," including the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, killing four pilots, and the sinking of the "13 de marzo" tugboat, resulting in the death of 18 children, the foundation said: "You, the American people who love democracy and freedom, cannot forget these abuses and exchange your dignity for money."

The report was read by Rolando Muñoz Yyobre, Migdalia Rosado Hernández and Dr. Elías Biscet, members of the board of directors of the the foundation, who ended their presentation by saying: "We know that we can be jailed for up to 20 years under Law 88, but it is preferable to suffer and maintain our decorum than to embrace injustice because of cowardice."

After reading the report, the board members accepted questions from journalists.

"The embargo is not against the people but against the government," said Muñoz Yyobre, in reply to a question. Biscet added that the embargo was "one of the weapons" in a non-violent fight.

"If it costs us jail, tough luck," Biscet said. "There, in jail, we will also defend the Cuban people."

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